"A guilty man set free on the account of another, is that justice? No that’s grace" Caleb & Sol

13 March 2016

TAMING THE TONGUE

James
3:1-12

There
was a happy little family, living in a small town in North Dakota, even though
the young mother had not been entirely well since the birth of her second baby.
But each evening the neighbours were aware of a warmth in their hearts when
they would see the husband and father being met at the gate by his wife and two
small children. There was laughter in the evening too, and when the weather was
nice father and children would romp together on the back lawn while mother
looked on with happy smiles. Then
one day a village gossip started a story, saying that (the father) was being
unfaithful to his wife, a story entirely without foundation. But it eventually
came to the ears of the young wife, and it was more than she could bear. Reasons
lefts its throne, and that night when her husband came home there was no one to
meet him at the gate, no laughter in the house, no fragrant aroma coming from
the kitchen, only coldness and something that chilled his heart with fear. And
down in the basement he found the three of them hanging from a beam. Sick and
in despair, the young mother had taken the lives of her two children, and her
own. In the days that followed, the truth of what had happened came out, a
gossip’s tongue, an untrue story, a terrible tragedy.

John MacArthur says“the
tongue is YOU in a unique way. It is a tattletale that tells on the heart and
discloses the real person. Not only that, but misuse of the tongue is perhaps
the easiest way to sin. There are some sins that an individual may not be able
to commit simply because he does not have the opportunity. But there are limits
to what one can say, no built-in restraints or boundaries.

IN
SCRIPTURE THE TONGUE IS VARIOUSLY DESCRIBED AS...

Wicked

Deceitful

Perverse

Filthy

Corrupt

Flattering

Slanderous

Gossiping

Blasphemous

Foolish

Boasting

Complaining

Cursing

Contentious

Open
grave

Sensual

Vile

See
the tongue is a great concern for James and it should be for us today! The tongue
is capable of 2 things! It can be
used to build up............... AND.................It
can be used to tear down! JAMES
SAID THIS IN THE BEGINNING OF HIS LETTER ….“My
brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the
testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that
you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4. So here is
another test that James gives us to test our skill to taming the tongue. I
HAVE 2 QUESTIONS FOR US THIS MORNING! Are
you displaying a proper us of the tongue according to what God expects from
each and every one of us? Are
you always using your tongue to do evil which is what Satan wants? The tongues
capability to cause harm not only to ourselves, but to those who are around us!

THE CHRISTIAN TONGUE IS CAPABLE OF CORRUPTION (v6-v8)

James says
the tongue is like a fire! (v6) Those who
misuse the tongue are guilty of spiritual arson! A mere spark
from an ill-spoken word can produce a firestorm that can cause so much damage
and devastation to whatever it touches. In
October 8, 1871, poor Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over the lantern as she was
being milked, starting the great Chicago Fire. That disaster blackened three
and one half miles of the city, destroying over 17,500 buildings and left 125
000 people homeless. The fire lasted two days and took 300 people’s lives. James is
reminding us that there is great destructive power in the tongue. James uses
the expression “fire”
to help us understand the power of the tongue. The tongue
is capable to reproduce itself in an almost unlimited way as long as it has
fuel to burn...A wicked
tongue corrupts the whole person. Why didn’t
James us the word picture of water?...........Because water causes a lot of
damage as well! Water cannot
multiply....when it is poured out; no matter where it goes or what it’s poured
on...... it never expands into a flood. But FIRE feeds
on itself...if there is sufficient flammable material and enough oxygen to
sustain combustion, it will burn on indefinitely. Now put that
in the context of this part of James letter! Is your fire
still going or has it been put out? Is your
tongue being used for evil?

LET’S ALL OF US.........TAKE THE TEST THIS MORNING!

IS IT BEING USED TOGOSSIP?

Prov 16:27-28 “A
worthless man plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire. A dishonest
man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.

IS IT BEING USED FORCOMPLAINING?

Num 21:4-5 “From Mount
Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And
the people became impatient on the way.
And the people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you
brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and
no water, and we loathe this worthless food."

IS IT BEING USED FORSELFISH GAIN?

2 Tim 3:1-5 “But
understand this, that in the last days there will come times of
difficulty. For people will be lovers of
self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents,
ungrateful, unholy, heartless,
unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit,
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of
godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

IS IT BEING USED FORDISHONESTY?

Col 3:8-10“But now you yourselves are to put off all
these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do
not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and
have put on the new man
who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,”

IS IT BEING USED FORPERVERSE
TALK?

Prov 10:31-32“The mouth of the righteous brings forth
wisdom, But the perverse tongue will be cut out. The lips of the righteous know
what is acceptable, But the mouth of the wicked what is perverse.”

IS IT BEING USED FOR BLASPHEMING GOD?

Acts 13:44-45“On the next Sabbath almost the whole city
came together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes,
they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming (defame, insult, speak evil) they opposed the things
spoken by Paul.”

We MUST always
be cautious of our tongue. Especially
how we are to use it! Why? Listen to this profound warning by Jesus himself. Matt 12:36-37“But I say to you
that for every idle (inactive,
useless)
word men may speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment.For by your words you will be justified, and by your
words you will be condemned." The tongue
is evil and full of wickedness and untameable by man! (v8). We must have
disciplined lives with the leading of the Holy Spirit....because it’s only by
the help of God anyone of as are able to tame the tongue. We must be
genuine in our speech not hypocritical (fake, two
faced)........ when we are at certain places or around certain people! (v9-v12)

DO
YOU DISPLAY ANY OR MANY OF THESE CHARACTERISTICS? If you do,
you need to check to see where you stand in the Lord Jesus Christ! Why I say
that? Because the Genuine believer
will not contradict his or her profession of faith........................... by
regular use of unwholesome words. As Jesus said in Matt 12:33"Either
make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad,
for the tree is known by its fruit. SO
WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TONGUE? WHY
DOES IT GET SO MUCH ATTENTION IN THE BIBLE?

Because it is suppose to be used
for:

Praising God

Worshipping

Prayer

Building up

Encouraging

Teaching

Communicating
true Biblical Love

THE CHRISTIAN TONGUE IS INTENDED FOR EDIFICATION (v10-v12)

We are to edify one another. Edify(means) “the
act of building" ("to build") the promotion of spiritual growth. As Paul said to the church in Ephesus “from
whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies,
according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes
growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
Eph 4:16. Now put that definition of edification into the context
of James chapter 3....we see! The tongue must be used for the purpose of good……..not
evil. We must bridle our tongues as James said in (v2). Bridle (means) "to lead by a bridle, to hold in check, restrain;" it is used
metaphorically of the tongue and of the body. WE
MUST USE IT FOR GOOD........How do I know it’s being used for good?

IS IT BEING USED FORPRAISING GOD?

(Heb 13:15) Through him then let us continually offer
up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge
His name.

IS IT BEING USED FORSHARING THE
GOSPEL?

Matt 28:18-20“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on
earth.Go therefore and make disciples of all
the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all things
that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

IS IT BEING USED TOENCOURAGE
OTHERS?

(1 Thess 5:12-15) We ask you, brothers, to respect those who
labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem
them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help
the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for
evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

IS IT BEING USED TOCOMMUNICATE
LOVE?

Eph 4:14-15“that
we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every
wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of
deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things
into Him who is the head—Christ.”

IS IT BEING USED FORGENUINE
PRAYER?

(1Peter 3:12)For the eyes of the Lord are over the
righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord
is against them that do evil.

If
anyone who knew what the tongue was capable of.........Peter is an expert in
this area! The tongue
is small and is capable of so much! May we
always use it, for what it was intended for...........Bringing Glory to the One
that saved us from the evil one! We are to
look to God and His sovereign Power in help to overcome to tame the tongue. We must live
disciplined lives under the control of the Holy Spirit. God gave us
the ability for a new redeemed holy speech to speak ONLY that which is.............HOLY AND GOOD. As Paul said “Let your
speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you
ought to answer each person.” Col 4:6. A HATEFUL
HEART is an unconverted heart and it CANNOT and WILL NOT produce loving words
or works. A LOVING
HEART is a regenerated heart and it CANNOT and WILL NOT produce hateful words
or works. In Matt 7:18 we read "A
healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit." HOW
DO WE ANSWER THE 2 QUESTION MENTIONED EARLIER? Are
you displaying proper us of the tongue? Are
you always using your tongue to do evil? Jesus went on to say in Matt 7:19 “Every tree that does not
bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire Thus you will recognize
them by their fruits....” Can you
leave here today with confidence that your tongue is being bridled by the
Power of the Holy Spirit. DO
WE HAVE A TONGUE THAT IS BITTER LIKE SALT WATER? DO
YOU HAVE A TONGUE THAT IS PURE LIKE FRESH WATER?

My Facebook

Quote of the Week

"Radical obediance to Christ is not easy; it is dangerous. It is not smooth sailing aboard a luxury liner; it is sacrificial duty aboard a troop carrier. It's not comfort, not health, not wealth, and not prosperity in this world. Radical obediance to Christ risks losing all these things. But in the end, such risk finds its reward in Christ. and He is more than enough for us." David Platt

OUR SARAH

OUR NEW ADDITION REBEKAH

180 MOVIE

My Blessings From God

Verse of the Week

2 Timothy 2:8-14"Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us toa holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.Follow the pattern of the soundwords that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you."ESV

Listen Up! Pastor's

John MacArthur says . . . " There seems almost no limit to what modern church leaders will do to entice people who aren't interested in worship and preaching. Too many have bought the notion that the church must win people by offering an alternative form of entertainment. Just how far will the church go in competing with Hollywood? A large church in the southwestern United States has installed a half-million dollar special-effects system that can produce smoke, fire, sparks, and laser lights in the auditorium. The church sent staff members to study live special effects at Bally's Casino in Las Vegas. The pastor ended one service by ascending to "heaven" via invisible wires that drew him up out of sight while the choir and orchestra added a musical accompaniment to the smoke, fire, and light show. It was just a typical Sunday show for that pastor: "He packs his church with such special effects as ... cranking up a chain saw and toppling a tree to make a point ... the biggest Fourth of July fireworks display in town and a Christmas service with a rented elephant, kangaroo and zebra. The Christmas show features 100 clowns with gifts for the congregation's children."Shenanigans like that would have been the stuff of Spurgeon's worst nightmares. And even Tozer could not have foreseen the extreme to which evangelicals would go in paying homage to the great god Entertainment. "

What does it mean to live a cross centered life?by Pastor Mike AndrewsWe as Christians know that there is only one road to take. The Bible say's "wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it" (Matt 7:13). Why is there so many people who profess Jesus Christ taking this road? (Phil 3:19) "Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things". The Bible say's the wide road leads to destruction. Which means eternally separated from a HOLY and Sovereign GOD. There is ony one road for GENUINE Christian. And it's the narrow road. A life that is: 1) Self denial2) Caring your cross daily3) Desiring the things of God4) Hating the things that God hates5) Submission and obedience6) Holy living7) Expects any kind of persecution.(Mat 10:22) and you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved(1 John 3:13) Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.A.W. Tozer says "The true follower of Christ will not ask, "If I embrace this truth, what will it cost me?" Rather he will say, "This is truth. God help me to walk in it, let come what may!" (1Pet 4:16-17) Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?We must stand strong in the Gospel of Christ. Holding to His promise of eternal life.
1. A Cross Centered life never is ashamed of His Gospel, for which He suffers,
2. A Cross Centered Life is never ashamed of the name he bears (Christian)
3. Nor of the punishment he endures, but let US, as OUR Lord and Master did, endure the cross.

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." John Piper"Alan Redpathhad two daughters who loved to swarm him when he came home at night. As he came in the door one evening, his little girls ran to meet him. One grabbed his leg and hugged him with all her might. He snatched the other daughter up in his arms. The one squeezing his leg said, "Now, I've got all of Daddy." The daughter in his arms replied, "Yes, but Daddy has got all of me!" Perhaps the question we need to continually ask is, "Does God have all of me?" Alan Redpath

GOOD TIMES WITH FRIENDS

Bible Search Engine

My Blessings

My Best Bud! Trevor

My Best Friend [My Wife]

We Must Preach the Gospel

MEN OF GOD

Welcome Message

"Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE") Gal 3:13. That's why as the great puritan once said "I preach as a dying man,to dying men. Richard Baxter...."